1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a terminal fitting and to a connector provided therewith.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 7,374,465 discloses a female terminal fitting with a rectangular tube at a front end and a wire crimping portion in the form of an open barrel at a rear end. The wire crimping portion defines an open barrel with a bottom wall and two side plates extending from left and right sides of the bottom wall. The rectangular tube has a base plate connected to the bottom wall of the wire crimping portion, two side plates extending at substantially right angles from left and right sides of the base plate and a lid plate extending at a substantially right angle from the end of at least one side plate opposite the base plate. The base plate is formed with a locking hole. The terminal fitting inserted into a terminal accommodating chamber of a housing from behind and a locking projection of a locking lance formed in the terminal accommodating chamber engages the edge of the locking hole to prevent the terminal fitting from coming out backward.
A part of the base plate behind the locking hole is indented inwardly of the rectangular tube to form a retracted portion. Thus the base plate has a height difference between the front and rear sides of the rear edge of the locking hole. A rear end part of the locking projection of the locking lance faces the outer surface of this retracted portion, and a part of the locking projection before the retracted portion is in the opening area of the locking hole. According to this configuration, a dimension of the locking hole in forward and backward directions can be reduced as compared with the case where an opening range of the locking hole in forward and backward directions extends from the front end to the rear end of the locking projection, and the terminal fitting can be made smaller by reducing a length of the rectangular tube in forward and backward directions by that much.
In the above-described terminal fitting, the retracted portion is formed by cutting a part of the base plate and bending the cut part. The side plates are connected to the left and right edges of this base plate. Thus, a formation range of the retracted portion in a width direction is limited to a range inwardly of the inner side surfaces of the side plates. That is, it is structurally impossible to form the retracted portion over the entire width of the rectangular tube including plate thickness ranges of the side plates. Since the locking projection of the locking lance is accommodated in a space secured by indenting the retracted portion inwardly of the rectangular tube, the width of the locking lance is limited to the entire width of the retracted portion or smaller. In other words, an engagement margin between the locking lance and the locking hole in the width direction is limited to the formation range of the retracted portion in the width direction.
The invention was completed in view of the above situation and an object thereof is to ensure a large engagement margin between a lock and a locking hole.